Climate

Climatic conditions

In the post-settlement era, no sequence of
extreme precipitation events has impacted as much of the Upper Minnesota
River and Red River basins as those experienced during the autumn of 1996
through the spring of 1997. The following events occurred:

Heavy autumn precipitation

Six or more inches in late October and November

Many areas four or more inches above normal, saturating the soil

Extraordinary winter snowfall

Most areas over six feet of snowfall; some over eight feet

Many areas two to three times the average snowfall

Fargo/Moorhead received 117 inches of snow as compared to its average of
39 inches and the previous seasonal record of 89 inches

1996-97 snowfall exceeded 1896-97 snowfall by 25 to 50 percent in much
of Minnesota's portion of the Red River basin

Heavy early spring precipitation

Two or more inches of precipitation (snow and rain) on April 5-6 in western
Minnesota

Crookston received 3.63 inches. The previous 2-day April record was 2.35
inches

Normal precipitation for the month of April is less than two inches

April temperatures

Temperatures 10 degrees above normal for the first week of April and 20
degrees below normal the second week